Hooligan’s opening restaurant on Hargrove

Mediterranean-American fare highlights menu

Hooligan’s, an American-Mediterranean restaurant that came to Tuscaloosa almost 16 years ago, will open another restaurant in town later this month.

File | The Tuscaloosa News

By Patrick RupinskiBusiness Editor

Published: Friday, June 6, 2014 at 11:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, June 6, 2014 at 11:54 p.m.

Hooligan’s, an American-Mediterranean restaurant that came to Tuscaloosa almost 16 years ago, will open another restaurant in town later this month.

Hooligan’s owner Mike Alhaija said he hopes to open the newest Hooligan’s at 501 Hargrove Road E. on June 16.

“We will have the same food, the same menu,” he said. “We hope to see the customers come in and enjoy the food they are used to.”

The restaurant will initially have about six or seven employees.

Alhaija said he is unsure if it will have the same hours as the Hooligan’s at 1915 University Blvd., which often is open later in the evening because of its proximity to the University of Alabama.

Hooligan’s previously had a second restaurant inside University Mall.

Alhaija said he had subleased the space at that location on a monthly basis and decided not to remain in the mall when the lease renewal came up, preferring a location that was visible from the street.

Hooligan’s first came to Tuscaloosa in October 1998 after University of Alabama students indicated they would like to have a casual Mediterranean restaurant similar to Birmingham’s Purple Onion, which Alhaija said is owned and run by some of his relatives. The menus of the two restaurants are similar.

According to Hooligan’s website, once a location was found in Tuscaloosa, friends and family members “spent long nights scraping, cleaning, painting and re-

arranging” to get the building ready to open.

The original Hooligan’s struggled after its initial opening but succeeded as more people discovered it.

<p>Hooligan's, an American-Mediterranean restaurant that came to Tuscaloosa almost 16 years ago, will open another restaurant in town later this month.</p><p>Hooligan's owner Mike Alhaija said he hopes to open the newest Hooligan's at 501 Hargrove Road E. on June 16.</p><p>“We will have the same food, the same menu,” he said. “We hope to see the customers come in and enjoy the food they are used to.”</p><p>The restaurant will initially have about six or seven employees. </p><p>Alhaija said he is unsure if it will have the same hours as the Hooligan's at 1915 University Blvd., which often is open later in the evening because of its proximity to the University of Alabama.</p><p>Hooligan's previously had a second restaurant inside University Mall. </p><p>Alhaija said he had subleased the space at that location on a monthly basis and decided not to remain in the mall when the lease renewal came up, preferring a location that was visible from the street.</p><p>Hooligan's first came to Tuscaloosa in October 1998 after University of Alabama students indicated they would like to have a casual Mediterranean restaurant similar to Birmingham's Purple Onion, which Alhaija said is owned and run by some of his relatives. The menus of the two restaurants are similar.</p><p>According to Hooligan's website, once a location was found in Tuscaloosa, friends and family members “spent long nights scraping, cleaning, painting and re-</p><p>arranging” to get the building ready to open.</p><p>The original Hooligan's struggled after its initial opening but succeeded as more people discovered it.</p>